Search the bylaws and constitution of the American Legion if you will, but sections dedicated to owning a building and running a business don't exist.

When the Veterans of Foreign Wars was formed in 1899 and the Legion in 1919, their focus was to serve veterans. As years progressed, individual posts looked for different ways to do that while also serving the community. For some, it included purchasing a building where veterans could meet. Some chose to offer restaurant and bar services to the public, as well.

"It became a way for them to raise money to support their programs. To support veterans in the community and youth programs in the American Legion," State Adjutant of the Minnesota American Legion Randy Tesdahl said.

With a venue, however, comes an additional list of expenses and maintenance.

At least three veterans' organizations with buildings in the St. Cloud area saw expenses exceed revenues in 2011 and 2012.

Sauk Rapids American Legion Post 254 was labeled temporarily closed July 1 after losing its liquor license because of $19,069.55 in back property taxes that were due May 15.

An additional penalty charge was added to the account Aug. 1, bringing the balance as of Friday to $19,244.50 for the first half of its annual property taxes. That amount will continue to rise by 1 percent Sept. 1 and Oct. 1. The bill for the second half of its taxes, due Oct. 15, is for $17,495. A higher penalty will begin Oct. 16 until the first half its taxes are paid.

While financial struggles affect some veteran organizations, declining membership remains the root of their problems.

Memberships wane

VFW Posts 428 and 4847 in St. Cloud are current with their taxes, but Post 428's expenses surpassed its revenue by $26,064 in 2012 and $33,192 in 2011, according to IRS records. It also has lost about 400 members in the past 10 years, with net losses in membership during seven of the 10 years.

Post 4847 also has seen a decline in its membership five of the past 10 years. In that decade, its peak membership was 753 in 2008. In 2014, 648 veterans are listed as members.

Fewer than 7,000 VFW posts remain across the country, down from 7,915 in June 2009.

The Legion remains the largest veterans service organization in the United States; it had 14,150 posts in 2009. Now, 13,477 remain. About 565 are in Minnesota, Tesdahl said.

Legion posts struggling with declining membership can reach out to their district organizations, which would contact the organization's state leaders. State leaders would in turn contact national counterparts. A team of seven members of the national staff would travel to the individual post to assist with revitalization and recruiting members.

"It's not just a membership drive, but it's a way to show the Legion is an asset to the community," said Matthew Herndon, deputy director in the membership division of the American Legion national headquarters.

Legion Post 428 in Waite Park saw 51 consecutive years of membership growth through 2011, but it hasn't seen numbers in the 900s and 1,000s since. It lost 52 members to death from 2010-2011 and eight this year, as of May.

Silver Star Post 428 Adjutant Ray DeZurik said hard work in recruiting Vietnam veterans contributed to years of successful membership.

The post has been struggling to get Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to join and has set a goal of 870 members for 2015.

Some law changes might have contributed to membership challenges, as well. When Minnesota lowered the blood alcohol limit for driving to 0.08 from 0.10 in 2005 and banned smoking in public facilities and worksites in 2007, DeZurik said, fewer veterans wanted to risk drinking too many beers and driving home. Standing outside in the cold or rain for a smoke wasn't appealing, either.

The organization's leaders have had the skills to handle financial decisions, but lower memberships have resulted in more responsibilities for active individuals. Its expenses exceeded its revenue by $16,196 in 2012 and $26,709 in 2011.

"I think each organization has some core members that do most of the work. By not getting a lot of new members, these guys are going to start getting burnt out if we don't get some help soon," DeZurik said.

Outreach is vital to the posts' survival, which serves the community with its programs and by opening its doors as a venue for meetings, weddings, parties and birthdays.

Its main issue, outside of recruiting members, is retaining them.

"It's really more than a building. And I believe that if the Waite Park Legion would ever close down it would be a tremendous loss to Waite Park," he said.

Building optional

But if a post loses or sells its building it doesn't mean it has lost its charter — a common misconception, Tesdahl said. It can remain active with meetings in community centers, members' homes or other public places.

Midwest and East Coast Legion and VFW posts are known to operate in their own buildings, but in the South, that's less common. Some have true clubhouses, open to members only.

Posts without buildings at all raise money through bake sales, garage sales and other fundraising measures, as opposed to food and alcohol sales.

The state Legion, which provides program management and advice to post and district posts, is unable to assist local groups with matters related to their buildings.

"I can't give any advice, because all I can speak to is what the organization established. If the organization was connected to the posts' business operations, the national Legion would be responsible for anything that happens," Tesdahl said.

"They take full responsibility for ownership and all that comes with it. All of that is on them, not on us. No one told them to do that, and we do not train or advise them to do that."

Hesitations

Struggling posts have caused national Legion members like 65-year-old Joseph Voyer of St. Cloud to hesitate in joining a local post. Voyer hasn't been a long term or active member, but he recalls going to a post with his uncle on Saturdays as he was growing up in Minneapolis. It was a dry Legion — one without a bar serving alcohol — and it still thrived, he said.

When he grew up and decided to join a Legion, he said people asked him why, since he didn't drink.

"They can't make any money if they can't serve alcohol, that's their thinking. ... It's a nice cultural thing for the veterans, they get to see each other and socialize, but you can be sociable without the booze," Voyer said.

The American Legion Magazine helps him keep up with veteran-related information and serves as a reminder of the work being done to support veterans and the programs that also benefit families and community members.

But it hurts Voyer to know unpaid taxes can negatively affect a post.

In Sauk Rapids, Post 254's expenses outpaced its revenue by $33,745 in 2012 and $50,302 in 2011.

"It's unfathomable to me. I just can't believe that that could happen," he said.

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